New Orleans plans to follow last year's evacuation model

New Orleans' top emergency preparedness official describes last year's Hurricane Gustav evacuation as a success, and he doesn't hesitate to point out why.

"Our citizens listened to us, " Col. Jerry Sneed said.

Though the monster storm that city leaders had feared veered off its initial course, Sneed said residents were correct to heed warnings to leave town. Counting those who drove out in their own cars and those who departed aboard public buses and trains, 97 percent of the city's residents fled before strong winds began, he said.

Pleased with the mass exodus and the efforts to secure property inside the empty city against looters, Sneed said New Orleans' hurricane readiness plans remain fundamentally unchanged this year.

Still, Sneed acknowledged several wrinkles -- most of them in the purview of state officials -- that he said he and his staff during the past year have worked to smooth in an effort to eliminate any excuse for residents to stay put when a dangerous storm threatens.

Sneed said he has gotten assurances from Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration that drivers of state-contracted buses will tell residents about their destination. Last year, many drivers kept the locations a mystery, causing anxiety for evacuees and making it impossible for them to provide key information to loved ones, he said.

"Our bus drivers will actually tell our people where they're headed instead of keeping it a secret until they pull up in front of the First Baptist Church of Shreveport, or wherever, " Sneed said.

Sneed said state officials have assured him they will open enough public shelters so none gets too crowded and that the havens, most at churches and schools, will have adequate restroom and shower facilities.

Also, Louisiana National Guard soldiers who have recently returned from wars overseas will get a refresher course on working in a civilian environment before arriving in New Orleans to help with evacuation and security, Sneed said.

Sneed said residents should refresh their memories of 2008 hurricane procedures to prepare for the upcoming season.

City officials reiterated that they will not open a shelter of last resort, and so-called "vertical evacuation" in high-rise buildings downtown will not be allowed.

For those without cars or the means to pay to leave town, Regional Transit Authority buses will shuttle residents from 17 sites around the city to the Union Passenger Terminal to catch rides out of town on buses and trains contracted by the state.

The citywide pickup sites remain unchanged this year, as does the timeline: RTA buses will begin running 66 hours before a projected landfall at the coast, and the last convoys out of town will leave 24 hours before projected landfall, Sneed said.

Under a regional plan, State Police implement contraflow, reversing the flow of inbound traffic on major roads 42 hours before projected coastal landfall.

If the mayor calls a mandatory evacuation, residents who choose to stay in New Orleans must remain on their property. Under city law, law enforcement authorities can question and arrest anyone wandering the streets, though they cannot forcibly remove residents from their homes.

Under a mandatory evacuation order, nursing homes must evacuate, while hospitals make case-by-case determinations, likely stopping selective surgeries and evacuating all but the most fragile patients.

Sneed reiterated that that when wind strength increases beyond 45 mph, police and other emergency workers will hunker down, leaving residents who ignore evacuation orders to fend for themselves.

As for the city's drainage capacity, repairs since Hurricane Katrina to every drainage pump in the vast network have made the system stronger and more reliable than ever, Sewerage & Water Board Executive Director Marcia St. Martin said.

The fragile balance that S&WB pump operators and Army Corps of Engineers personnel must keep to ensure that the drainage system is working well while canal gates are closed worked well last year. "We anticipate that would be flawless if we had to do it again, " she said.

As in 2008, rented generators are being installed at drainage pump stations that lack permanent backup power, as well as at the east bank water purification plant and wastewater treatment plant, St. Martin said. Pump stations have been stocked with provisions, including boats, for S&WB pump operators who don't leave their posts during storms, she said.

To maximize the volume of water that gets off the streets and into underground drainage pipes, St. Martin implored residents to clear storm drains near their homes.

Sneed said that while most storm preparations tend to anticipate The Big One, residents also should plan for minor, but still potentially dangerous, tropical storms that would not elicit evacuation orders by installing storm shutters and stocking up on nonperishable food and drinking water.

Cautioned Sneed: "We have to be ready for anything."

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Michelle Krupa can be reached at mkrupa@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3312.